BIRDS IN HAND: RCA and a Communications Revolution In the 1970s, the cable television industry was transformed - not by cables, but by communications satellites flying more than 23,000 miles above the earth. These satellites enabled a programming revolution that made household names out of HBO, CNN, ESPN, Ted Turner and Pat Robertson. The common thread in the emergence of these global brands was a fleet of satellites built and operated by RCA, which extended the reach of cable TV in ways that previously were unimaginable. This revolution was made possible by the technologists who built and flew these satellites - especially a team of engineers from RCA. But it wasn't easy or dull. One satellite blew up four days after launch. Another almost shook itself to pieces in deep space. Armed only with telemetry, engineers had to trouble-shoot problems on satellites worth tens of millions of dollars as they hurtled through the harsh environment of space.


Archie T. Miller Archie T. Miller had a front-row seat for the birth and growth of the satellite communications industry. As an executive at RCA Americom and American Satellite, Miller directed teams that helped fly and track a new generation of satellites that altered the landscape of America’s television and telecom industries. He writes with a combination of insight, expertise and humor about the industry and its history. Born in Jersey City, NJ in 1930, Archie grew up in Arlington, VA. He studied Music at Brevard College (North Carolina) and Electronic Engineering Technology at the Capital Radio Engineering Institute in Washington, DC. He served for four years as a Sonarman in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War and made a 55,000 mile journey around the world in a Fletcher class destroyer. Miller started work with RCA Service Co as a technical writer, launching a career that included a series of executive and engineering positions with responsibilities ranging from technician level data services to general engineering support to Phd.-level critical analytical studies. Archie retired from GE Americom as Manager, Network and Spacecraft Operations in 1992. He did consulting for 7 years supporting various spacecraft and ground system technical projects for clients including AT&T, Lockheed-Martin and Martin Marietta He is now retired and living in Central New Jersey.